Hypothesis: Why I Suddenly Became the Slowest Long Distance Runner in High School

I wondered if fast twitch muscles develop in the teens.  I was the fastest distance runner on the team until I hit high school, then suddenly was the slowest runner.  Different schools did not matter, I was pretty slow compared to everyone in my new region.  So what gives?  I did a quick look concerning the hypothesis that the fast twitch muscle fibers that I'm genetically inclined to have develop in the teens.  I came across and article in 1993 that indicates as much, 

"Young Athletes’ Development Studied : Health: Researchers say children are not capable of quick bursts of power until puberty, when “fast-twitch” muscle fibers develop. But all can do aerobic exercise, they say."  

The development is reportedly not as pronounced in females, but is interesting information nonetheless.  The article did not address the effect of exercise and training, but if my experience is any indication, if you're genetically a power athlete (think weightlifting and sprinting), you're not going to be a great endurance athlete sometime in puberty no matter how hard you try to be.  My slowness could also be due to not training during part of puberty, poor nutrition (my fault), or it really could have been genetics. But I enjoyed going to various places for cross country meets and giving it my best shot.  So there you go.

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